In one of the old buildings near our school,one could see an old man sitting by a large window on the first floor.His name was James.During the three years at schoo1, I had hardly ever found him missing from his usual position.
He was a high-ranking government official and lived happily with his wife.Once there was a bus accident,in which a number of passengers were seriously injured and were taken to the hospital for treatment.James was responsible for the rescue operation.It was a big hospital,but James was shocked to notice how ill-equipped it was.There were no enough life-saving drugs and life—supporting equipment. The injured and their companions had to struggle there.James attempted to help.However,though he emptied his pockets,many of them died that day.
That was a turning point in his life.He made a decision to devote his life to helping others, particularly the poor and needy patients and their companions.He began spending much of his income on these people.Since this required a lot of time and energy,he found it difficult to fulfill his official duties and therefore chose to retire,which,in turn,reduced his income considerably.
His wife was deeply worried. Most of the time,James was out and paid least attention to home affairs.Meanwhile,as he was spending a lot helping others,she had to struggle even to meet the household expenses.Though she was not opposed to his helping the poor,she urged him not to overlook his own life and home,but it had no effect on him.One day they had a heated argument and in the end she left him,never to return.Though he continued with his work,this was a great blow and did serious harm to his health and enthusiasm and was soon forced to stay indoors.That was when he took his position by the window,spending his time looking outside.
A few weeks after my graduation,I returned to school,only to find the buildings gone.I heard that they were torn down.All the people left except James.He refused to go and the next morning,he was found at his usual place by the window,dead.
What changed James’ view towards life?
A.The difficulties in his career. |
B.The deaths in the bus accident. |
C.The bad conditions in the hospital. |
D.The responsibilities in the operation. |
James chose to retire in order to____________________.
A.take care of the injured passengers |
B.find a better job to increase his income |
C.spare more time and energy to help others |
D.stay away from the difficult official duties |
James’ wife left because_________________________.
A.she was strongly against his deeds |
B.James paid too little attention to his work |
C.her work to support their daily life was too tiring |
D.James failed to keep a balance between charity and home |
The underlined word this in Paragraph 4 refers to ____________.
A.His decision to retire |
B.The departure of his wife |
C.The argument with his wife |
D.His devotion to helping others |
What is possibly the reason why James sat by the window every day?
A.He expected his wife to return. |
B.He looked forward to going out. |
C.He desired to watch the students. |
D.He attempted to know the outside life. |